1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a cradle or holder for a portable electronic device, and more particularly to a cradle having a latch that clasps the electronic device without rubbing or scratching the electronic device.
2. Background Art
Portable electronic devices, like cellular telephones, are becoming more and more popular. It seems that everywhere you go, people are talking on cellular telephones. Once a luxury item, now they are nearly as common as wrist watches.
Most cellular telephones today come with some type of holder. The holder may be a belt holster, a desktop charger, or a vehicular charger. The holder generally includes some form of a pocket into which the phone may be inserted. A mechanical clasp then holds the phone in place. One such belt holster is shown in FIG. 1.
The most popular type of mechanical clasp is a cantilever arm. Using the phone holster 100 of FIG. 1 as an example, the cantilever arm 101 has a thumb grip 102 and a clasp 101. With this type of latch, one inserts a one end of a phone into the pocket 104. The person then presses the other end of the phone against the clasp 103, thereby causing the cantilever arm 101 to bend slightly. The clasp 103 then rides across the surface of the phone until it snaps into a notch in the phone. To remove the phone from the holster 100, one grasps the cantilever arm 101 at the thumb grip 102 and bends the arm 101 slightly. The clasp 103 then slides across the phone until the phone is released. The phone can then be removed from the pocket 104.
The problem with this cantilever arm type latch is that the clasp rides along the surface of the phone. Today's phones are not only portable communication devices, but fashion statements as well. Manufacturers are making flashy new phones with colored surfaces. These surfaces may be either painted or plated. In either case, when a clasp rides along the surface of the phone, it will generally scratch and mar the surface.
There is thus a need for an improved phone holder with a clasp that will not scratch the finish of the phone.